Chapter 141: Soap?

Sheng Hong was sitting in the main seat in the front hall, complaining, "Hey, didn't I tell you that Zhuang Xuexue went to have fun on his own, so you kids don't have to make a trip. The weather is very cold."< /p>

Qin Hao and Qi Heng looked at each other and smiled, "What did Uncle Sheng say? We have troubled the Sheng Mansion for a year, but it's just a visit today, so what's the big deal."

" Haha, okay, it’s rare for you to come and have lunch here.” Sheng Hong stroked his beard and said with a satisfied smile.

Then Sheng Hong began to discuss calligraphy with Qin Hao and others. Sheng Changfeng was inevitably taught a lesson because his handwriting was the worst among the four. < /p>

Qin Hao said with a smile, "No, no, Wang Youjun's handwriting is naturally talented and rich. I can't write such words. I just have more experience in facial expressions."< /p>

Sheng Changfeng finally found an excuse and said quickly, "Yes, I don't dare to practice Wang Youjun's copybook for fear of being discouraged."

"You are just being lazy. Sheng Changbai complained.

"Haha" everyone looked at each other and laughed.

The backyard is also very lively. Today, Mrs. Yu and her family also came to visit, and they also brought Yu Yanran, the eldest daughter of the Yu family, who was playing in the backyard.

Of course, Ru Lan and Mo Lan's thoughts were no longer in the backyard. Their eyes kept drifting to the front hall. Wang Ruofu glared at Ru Lan several times. Unfortunately, her daughter was completely indifferent. Seeing this made Wang Ruofu embarrassed.

Ming Lan had a lot of fun with Yu Yanran. The two were similar in age and had long been friends.

After a while, someone came from the front hall and reported back to the old lady of the Sheng family, "Old lady, today the master is leaving the young marquis and the young prince to have lunch together. It's almost time to start the banquet."

Mr. Yu The wife asked with a smile, "But the two young masters from Dongchang Houfu and Qi Guogongfu"

Wang Ruofu couldn't help but feel proud, but said, "Exactly, these two children are really, but they are in my house." After studying for a year, Xuexue Zhuang is not here, and it is so cold that I still have to make a trip."

Old Mrs. Yu smiled with envy. Qin Hao had been doing well this year. Kong's birth has attracted considerable attention in the noble circles of Bianjing City, and he has become as famous as Qi Heng.

Those who have girls of the same age at home want to recruit Qin Hao as their son-in-law, and those who have boys at home can use it to "motivate" their own playboys, and use them as other people's children.

Old Mrs. Sheng couldn't stand Wang Ruofu's face, waved her hands and said, "It's other people's children who are trying to succeed. Speaking of which, it's our parents, Bai and Chang Feng, who are taking advantage of others. I don't think so. She said that she has improved a lot in her studies this year. "

"That's not necessarily the case. As the saying goes, birds follow the phoenix and fly far away, and people with good qualities are proud of themselves. This is still the integrity of the Sheng family." Mrs. Yu. A compliment.

Wang Ruofu’s originally embarrassed face suddenly turnedFull of smiles, she loved hearing this.

Seeing her look like this, Mrs. Sheng couldn't help shaking her head secretly, but she didn't say anything else.

It was lunch time soon, and a screen was set up in the front hall. In ancient times, men and women had to sit separately. The women were curled up inside the screen, and Qin Hao's table was outside the screen.

Before leaving the table, Qin Hao and Qi Heng came across the screen to greet Mrs. Sheng.

Old Mrs. Yu finally saw Qin Hao and Qi Heng, and her eyes couldn't help but drift to her granddaughter Yanran.

Old Mrs. Sheng kindly helped the two of them up, "It's cold on the ground, so there's no need to be so polite."

Qin Hao and Qi Heng followed Mrs. Yu and Wang Ruofu saw the ceremony and then withdrew.

Just when the two of them left, the souls of Mo Lan and Ru Lan were also taken away. They were absentmindedly eating, their eyes drifting to the screen from time to time, as if they had clairvoyant eyes that could see through the screen. generally.

Minglan started eating and drinking without any scruples. The girl now looked like a hamster eating crazily, her chubby face and cheeks also bulging, making Mrs. Yu laugh.

"This girl by your side is the most interesting."

Minglan's good interest in eating was instantly broken by such a comment, and she could only lower her head pretending to be shy. , I lamented in my heart.

"My sauced elbow, my steamed seabass"

Seeing her look like this, Old Mrs. Sheng couldn't help but burst into joy, and it was rare for her to burst into laughter.

Sheng Hong glanced behind him in surprise.

The guests and hosts enjoyed the meal thoroughly. After sitting for a while, Qin Hao and Qi Heng left. Mrs. Yu also took Yu Yanran back home.

The Sheng Mansion returned to calm, but it was only calm on the surface.

Wang Ruofu saw Ru Lan's distraught look and decided to test Sheng Hong's attitude again.

"Guardian, the house has not been so lively for a long time. Why don't you have a few more drinks today?"

Sheng Hong waved his hand, "How can we have a drink with a few children? It's just a small drink." Just two cups."

"How about we drink together as husband and wife?" Wang Ruofu said and asked Liu's mother to prepare wine and food.

Sheng Hong became interested and agreed. After a few glasses of wine, Wang Ruofu pretended to sigh.

"Oh, these days go by so fast. One year has passed in the blink of an eye, and the children are also one year older."

Sheng Hong also agreed. Nodding, "Yes, we made three mistakes when we moved to Bianjing. Now thinking about what it was like to be a general judge in Yangzhou, it seems like just yesterday."

Wang Ruofu gave her husband another glass of wine "Official, seeing that the daughters in the family are now grown up, it will be time to talk about marriage in a few years. Shouldn't we make plans early?"

Sheng Hong hesitated, "Isn't it time to talk about marriage now?" Well, the eldest Mo Lan is only 11 years old."

When Wang Ruofu saw that her husband's first thought was Mo Lan, she couldn't help but be secretly jealous, but she had more.For big plans, you can only suppress the fire first and continue to induce.

“You are not young anymore. This marriage is no less than a second reincarnation for your daughter’s family. The officials and families in Bianjing City have started to look at each other from a very early age. If you wait until you are of the right age to find someone, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find the right one."

Sheng Hong thought, "Well, in that case, Mrs. Lao will look at it first, and I will pay attention."

For his children, although Sheng Hong is not equal to a bowl of water, he is still fair-minded when it comes to life-long matters.

Wang Ruofu was secretly happy when he saw this, and put some side dishes into his husband's bowl. "My lord, I'm afraid I didn't see you today, but Mrs. Yu stared at the young marquis and the young master for a long time. , I’m afraid she has the intention to look at her granddaughter sweetly.”

Sheng Hong reacted immediately and frowned, “I told you, our family’s family is not high enough for you. Why are you still thinking about this?"

Wang Ruofu did not give up and said, "Guanren, I know we are high-ranking, but the young marquis and the young prince are really rare talents. You see, only in our family. After one year of classes, Zhuang Xuexue praised him without hesitation. He will definitely have a bright future in the future. Is the official willing to give up such a good son-in-law to someone like this?"

Sheng Hong was struggling in his heart. To be honest, , he is also very optimistic about Qin Hao and Qi Heng, but because of this, he knows how many people are trying to attract their attention. How can he compete with them based on the Sheng family's family status?

"Okay, don't think too much about this matter. Our family is not blessed with that." Sheng Hong stood up and left without any explanation.

Wang Ruofu was so angry that he swept away all the food and wine on the table afterwards, becoming a table-cleaning master.

Sheng Hong came out of Wang Ruofu's place and came to Lin Qige, and it turned out that this was what Lin Xiaoniang told him.

Sheng Hong scolded Lin Xiaoniang, and then went straight to sleep in another concubine's room.

At Shou'an Hall, the old lady was teaching Minglan a lesson. < /p>

Minglan lamented that the days of pretending to be stupid and good will be gone forever.

On the other side, Mrs. Qin Liu is also worried. For her, the eldest lady of Dongchang Hou Mansion, celebrating New Year's Day every year is like passing a customs. Not counting the exchanges of favors, just after the Lantern Festival, Those documents from Qinlou Chu Pavilion gave her a headache.

Dongchang Hou Mansion has long been in decline since the death of the old Marquis. However, Qin Junye is used to spending a lot of money. He often spends a lot of money outside and talks about the Marquis's ostentation. These Qin Towers and Chu Palaces also know that Xun The most important thing for a noble family is face, and they will not default on their debts. They usually only need to sign the bill, and after the Lantern Festival, they will come to settle the bill together.

"Why did mother sigh?" As soon as Qin Hao entered the door, he saw Mrs. Qin Liu sighing there.

Qin Liushi forced a smile, "It's nothing, Brother Hao is back. If you are tired, take a rest for a while and talk to your mother."

Qin Liu is quite satisfied with this son. He can earn face for himself and is filial. People praise him wherever he goes.

Qin Hao said seriously, "Mother. You are still treating me like a naughty boy."

Seeing this, Mrs. Qin Liu sighed, "Brother Hao, it's not that your mother doesn't want to tell you, it's just that you should focus on your studies now. Wait until you are in high school. After becoming a Jinshi, our Dongchang Hou Mansion will have hope, and things will get better in the future. "

Qin Hao shook his head and asked, "Does the mother want to wait until the child becomes an official before handing over the mess of the Hou Mansion to the child?"

"This" Qin Liu Shi was stunned by the question.

Qin Hao took the opportunity to say, "Mom, running away from problems is not the way to go. Otherwise, it will be hard to get back, and it may hinder my future in the future. ”

Qin Liu was shocked. Her whole life’s hopes had been pinned on her son. How could she hinder her son’s future?

So, Qin Liu took the opportunity to I told Qin Hao about the financial situation of the Changhou Mansion.

To put it bluntly, it is unable to make ends meet. Dongchanghou Mansion had many properties when the old prince was here, but they were all completely destroyed later. , It’s not all done by Qin Junye alone, there are several people in the second and third bedrooms who are also experts at nibbling on old people.

“Now the property in the mansion only has two silk shops and one restaurant. , three cosmetics shops and some land, which seems to be a lot, but it can't sustain such a large expenditure. "

Qin Hao nodded and asked "How much foreign debt does the house still owe now?"

The Dongchang Hou Mansion has been able to maintain the dignity of the Hou Mansion for so many years without making ends meet, mainly relying on cash flow. , the output of several shops is not bad, plus the income from the land, but even so, it is inevitable to borrow foreign debt.

Qin Liu wiped her tears and said, "We owe a total of 87,000 yuan. ”

Qin Hao couldn’t help but be speechless. In the Song Dynasty, copper coins were the main currency in circulation. The regular currency was one thousand copper coins. According to the calculation that the regular currency is equal to one tael of silver, that means he owed 87,000 taels of silver.

It doesn’t seem like much, but if you consider the purchasing power, it’s quite scary. According to the current prices, one stone of rice costs 700 Wen, which means that 120 kilograms of rice only costs 700 Wen. One hundred cents.

The foreign debt owed by the Dongchang Hou Mansion can buy 1.24 million kilograms of rice, which is 14.91 million kilograms.

Qin Hao was speechless. He had seen such a trick. , I have never seen someone cheating his son so much. If he didn’t ask, he would have become the second generation of negative people.

No, he has to make money, otherwise the debt will fall on him in the future. .

Of course, Qin Hao is not too panicked. As a time traveler, the most important thing is the means to make money.

"Mom, can you give me some carpenters and blacksmiths?" Qin Hao thought for a moment and said to Qin Liu.

Qin Liu asked in confusion, "Brother Hao, what do you want these for?"

"Of course it's to make money," Qin Hao said seriously. .

Qin Liu burst into laughter."You kid made me happy again." Qin Hao didn't say anything, but looked at her seriously. The smile on Qin Liu's face gradually solidified, and she said hurriedly.

"Brother Hao, please don't let your mind wander. Mother has to figure out how to deal with money. At worst, she can still make ends meet by selling some dowry. You are a scholar, how can you manage such a lowly business?" "

Qin Hao said sternly, "Mother is worrying too much. The child is only making suggestions. Other production and sales are still handled by the mother. The child will not come forward in person."

"But. Why does Brother Hao need some craftsmen?" Qin Liu breathed a sigh of relief and then asked again.

Qin Hao gave up and said, "My mother will know later."

Qin Liu couldn't help but had to call several carpenters and blacksmiths from the mansion.

"I have seen the eldest lady and the young prince." Six or seven craftsmen stood cautiously in the hall and saluted, not daring to raise their heads.

Qin Hao asked in a low voice, "Are these people reliable?"

Qin Liu nodded, "They are all born from the same family."

Children born from the same family are those born from the same family. His ancestors had been working as servants in the mansion since his ancestors, and he had all the bonds of renunciation from his parents and relatives, so his loyalty was naturally much higher than that of ordinary people.

Qin Hao nodded with satisfaction and led a group of craftsmen back to his small courtyard.

In the next two days, I heard the sound of tinkling bells coming from Qin Hao’s small courtyard.

Two days later, a huge iron pot appeared in the small courtyard. There was also a hand crank for stirring in the iron pot, a huge wooden barrel, and some molds.

Yes, what Qin Hao wants to do is make soap.

The reason why we choose to use soap is also very simple. Firstly, soap is low-cost to make and easy to mass-produce. Secondly, the demand is high. During the Song Dynasty, soap locust was a common washing product. This thing has great washing effect. Far inferior to soap, this is a blue ocean market with huge profits. Thirdly, there are no rich and powerful people involved in this industry, so they won’t touch anyone’s cake and make enemies.

Qin Liu also came over after hearing the news, and saw Qin Hao asking the craftsmen to set up an iron pot, add water into it, and then add a bucket of oil sludge. The oil sludge is the precipitate of lard after cooling. I chose lard because it is cheap.

The main foods eaten in the Song Dynasty were mutton and beef. Pork was a cheap meat, and only common people would buy it to satisfy their cravings.

Making soap is not that particular. Of course, use whatever is cheap.

Ms. Qin Liu was confused, and the maids and grandmothers following behind her were also full of doubts.

And as the temperature in the pot increased, an unpleasant smell made everyone subconsciously take a few steps back, and they could only cover their mouths and noses.

Qingmei covered Qin Hao's nose with a handkerchief while holding her breath. After a while, her chest rose and fell violently, and she couldn't help but cough. The smell was really a bit overwhelming.

Qin Hao took away her hand and told her to take care of herself, but instead walked into a fewStep 1 and observe the situation in the iron pot.

At this time, the temperature in the iron pot was already very high, and the oil sludge had all broken apart and merged with the water. Upon seeing this, Qin Hao asked the craftsman to pour a large piece of caustic soda into it.

Speaking of which, it took Qin Hao a lot of effort to make this caustic soda. In later generations, this was a chemical product and could be purchased, but in the Song Dynasty, he had to make it himself.

The main costs of caustic soda are "sodium bicarbonate" and "calcium oxide". "Sodium bicarbonate" is baking soda. The production method is to mix salt and sugar, and then add a certain proportion of flour and Add a small amount of water and stir until there is no more water.

And "calcium oxide" is actually quicklime, which can be purchased directly.

Heat quicklime and react to turn it into lime slurry. Add baking soda and continue stirring. After cooling and standing still, you can obtain caustic soda.

For ancient people who have not learned any chemical knowledge, all this is as mysterious as Taoist priests refining elixirs. No one knows what Qin Hao's purpose is, and it is easy to keep it secret.

With the addition of caustic soda, the smell in the air became even weirder, and Qin Liu had almost retreated to the entrance of the small courtyard.

At this time, Qin Hao had already asked the craftsman to drive the rocker arm to fully stir the mixture in the pot.

As the water in the pot continues to evaporate, the liquid in the pot gradually becomes thicker and the color gradually turns yellow-brown.

Qin Hao watched for a while and asked the craftsman to add edible salt and stir thoroughly.

"Put out the fire."

After the craftsman put out the fire quickly, the liquid in the pot gradually cooled over time.

After almost an hour and a half, the liquid in the pot had become very viscous, and Qin Hao asked the craftsmen to mold the semi-finished soap.

After another two hours of waiting, Qin Hao personally knocked the soap out of one of the molds and handed it to Qin Liu.

Qin Liu touched the soap and it felt smooth and tender, but she didn't know what it was for and looked at Qin Hao with confusion.

Qin Hao asked someone to get a basin of water, and then said to the craftsman who had just watched the fire, "Come here."

The craftsman walked over cautiously, Qin Hao pressed the craftsman's hand He put his hands in the water to wet them, and then rubbed his hands with soap.

A magical scene appeared. The hands that were originally full of dirt became extremely clean just by rubbing them gently.

The original clear water was now turbid, with some soap bubbles floating on it.

"Mom, do you think this thing will sell well?" Qin Hao looked at Qin Liu with a smile.

Qin Liu's face changed, and she glanced at everyone present with a cold look, "If anyone reveals a word about today's events, they will be killed along with their relatives."